Jacob van Thienen
Encyclopedia
Sidenote: Gobertingen, is a hamlet (in Dutch, Gobertange in French) of the former municipality of Mélin (Malen in Dutch) that now belongs to Jodoigne
Jodoigne
Jodoigne is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Jodoigne had a total population of 12,440...
(Geldenaken in Dutch), where some of the original Dutch-language placenames like Dongelberg still occur in present-day local French language. Achitect and Master Mason Van Thienen was familiar with in the area of his edifices most common sandstone types named after their places of origin, Gobertingen and Balegem. Before Jaak became the Master Mason, he and Hendrik van Gobertingen assisted Jean d'Oisy
Jean d'Oisy
Jean d'Oisy was an architect for several ecclesiastical buildings in Brabantine Gothic style...
at the Church of Our Lady at the Pool in the city of Tienen (formerly spelled Thienen). Dutch-language surnames formed like Van Thienen and Van Gobertingen are very common. A person from the small place Gobertingen would have stated that place of origin while still near it, but the nearest city, 'Thienen', when somewhat further away such as in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, and would then be referred to by that predicate. Working in Tienen, Jaak and Hendrik may have come from the same nearby village, and Jaak's varying surname indicates that a localizing instead of an already estasblished family name may have been used.
was a Flemish
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
of the early 15th century (the dates of his birth and death are unknown). He is believed to have designed the spectacular Brussels Town Hall
Brussels Town Hall
The Town Hall of the City of Brussels is a Gothic building from the Middle Ages. It is located on the famous Grand Place in Brussels, Belgium....
(Hôtel de Ville) circa 1402. This Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building, which stands in the city's Grand Place
Grand Place
The Grand Place or Grote Markt is the central square of Brussels. It is surrounded by guildhalls, the city's Town Hall, and the Breadhouse . The square is the most important tourist destination and most memorable landmark in Brussels, along with the Atomium and Manneken Pis...
, is widely regarded as a masterpiece of medieval European secular architecture. The building's distinctive belfry
Bell tower
A bell tower is a tower which contains one or more bells, or which is designed to hold bells, even if it has none. In the European tradition, such a tower most commonly serves as part of a church and contains church bells. When attached to a city hall or other civic building, especially in...
was, however, the work of a different architect, Jan van Ruysbroeck.
Van Thienen may also have built the southern aisle of the Saint Michael and Saint Gudula Cathedral in Brussels, around 1400.